Entreprechef shares ‘111-degree’ sauce taste with new neighbors in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, Pa.—In adopting western Pennsylvania as his new home, Leon Paris Greene has reversed tradition and brought a welcoming gift. Greene’s company, Elpgee’s Sauce, begins bottling and distribution of “A Marinade, Hotwing & Cooking Sauce for All Occasions” in the region this summer.

The Abbeville, S.C., native says he is eager for his new neighbors to try his all-purpose marinade for ribs as well as other meats and dishes, calling it “a singular taste with a distinct accent of the old-fashioned Southern kitchen.”

“It’s a great treat for me to share this recipe with Pittsburgh,” says Greene, whose own kitchen experience stretches back to his youth growing up in Georgia and the Carolinas.

The son of a railroad man, Greene grew up in the world of close-knit families and great cooking, discovering that preparing great meals can be as much a matter of down-home magic as of culinary chemistry. Over time, the work world led him to Pittsburgh. To this area of iconic food products, Greene brought along his super-sauce recipe.

“I’ve been cooking since I was 15, in places like Abbeville, where good cooking and great cooking are one and the same,” Greene says. “A lot of the taste of this versatile sauce comes from what I learned growing up.

“Around 1997 in Edmond, Oklahoma, my son Adam and I put together Elpgees Hotwing Sauce. It has since evolved to Elpgees Marinade, Hotwing and Cooking Sauce. It’s excellent on the grill, in the oven or added to your favorite recipes.

“Fussy cooks may rate sauces upwards of ‘1000 good,’” Greene adds. “Elpgee’s lays rightful claim to a sauce called ‘1110’ great. Now I want to share some of that high-degree taste with my Pittsburgh neighbors.”

Greene will be at the Giant Eagle, 9001 Frankstown Rd, on Aug. 3 and 4 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.